According to Firmenich, a world leader in flavor and perfume research, honey is the 2015 flavor of the year. When it comes to beers, that’s no exception. Check out these beers thar are brewed with this sweet, earthy ingredient.
Beezel Belgian Style Golden Ale, BRU Handbuilt Ales
One of the first beers that Ian Clark of Boulder, Colorado’s BRU Handbuilt Ales & Eats, who happens to be a home beekeeper, brewed was the Beezel, a Belgian golden strong ale with honey, black pepper, and bitter orange. “Honey is a more complex sugar and lends more depth of flavor to the final beer. If I am looking to add more complexity, I will add the honey at the beginning of the boil, and if I am looking to add intense honey flavor, I will add it at the very end of the boil, or even in whirlpool,” Clark says.
Honey Saison, Almanac Brewing
This honey beer is brewed with Bay Area honey from Marshall Farms, wheat, California two-row barley, fresh ginger, and earthy Mount Hood and Saaz hops. It’s a refreshing brew that’s light enough for the porch and complex enough for cold winters. Available in bottled 4-packs.
Midas Touch, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales
This ancient beer style’s recipe was discovered in a tomb in Turkey. Saffron acts as a bittering agent for this beer and gives it a red hue and a fresh perfume-y aroma. “It’s a liquid time capsule,” says Sam Calagione in a brewery video.
Comb, Plan Bee Farm Brewery
There are two beehives on the premises of Plan Bee Farm Brewery (Fishkill, New York) that produce honey that goes into the brewery’s beers during carbonation. When aged, the unpasteurized honey in each bottled beer has the potential to become sour. Comb is a sour beer with notes of salt, oak, and smoke.
Bee Tea, Night Shift Brewing Company
Night Shift (Everett, Massachusetts) crafts a beer with Dutch Gold Orange Blossom honey that ages on tea. “We use green tea for the bitter, herbal characteristics to help balance the sweet honey note. The dryness is attributed to the honey’s fermentability, yielding a dry character with a touch of honey flavor, not sweetness,” says Night Shift’s production manager Joe Mashburn.
Mexican Honey Imperial Lager, Indeed Brewing Co.
It’s hard to find an imperial lager, let alone one that’s brewed with honey—Mexican orange blossom honey to be exact, and Amarillo hops. Minneapolis-based Indeed Brewing’s Mexican Honey has notes of orange nectar, graham cracker, biscuits, and honeycomb. This seasonal release is available in 16-ounce cans and won the 2014 Silver Medal for Specialty Honey Beer at the Great American Beer Festival.
Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, Back Forty Beer Co.
Last year Back Forty (Gadsden, Alabama) announced the canned debut of their popular Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale. To create this beer, they use wildflower honey and honey malts, as well as chocolate and crystal malts, and Apollo and Willamette hops.
Miel Sauvage, Bayou Teche Brewing
Arnaudville, Louisiana’s Bayou Teche Brewing’s Miel Sauvage is a big French-style ale aged in oak whiskey barrels. The beer, which is inspired by French farmhouse breweries, is brewed with Bernard’s Apiaries local honey and barley imported from France. This seasonal release is available in 22-ounce bombers in December.